'Still much to be done' on our region's journey to recovery: Mayor

The Hikuwai No.1 Bridge near Tolaga Bay fell into the river during Cyclone Gabrielle, cutting off people on the Coast. Picture supplied

A year on from Cyclone Gabrielle, Tairāwhiti still has a “long’ and “steep” road to recovery, and Mayor Rehette Stoltz says it is a journey we must all take together. 

Mayor Rehette Stoltz

“This year we were blessed with a cracker of a summer. I hope everyone had some time to relax over the break, soak up the sun and recharge their batteries.

“Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the summer of 2023. As we start to look back on a year that was marked by two cyclones and several extreme weather events, it is time to stop, reflect, share our stories and walk alongside each other on the long journey to recovery.

“Sadly, two precious lives were lost during Cyclone Gabrielle. I want to acknowledge the passing of John Coates and Joseph Ahuriri and send our love and thoughts to their families as the 14th of February comes around.

“Even though we had a relatively normal summer and tourists came here for a ‘traditional’ summer break, the scars on our landscape and our people are still very visible.

“I am incredibly proud of the huge amount of work that has been done this past year to try to connect our community and get us going on our way to recovery. A massive shout-out to all the organisations, businesses and contractors involved — thank you.

“But there is still so much to be done over the next few years. Our roading infrastructure remains very fragile even though a huge amount of work has already happened. Our state highways need more resilience. We simply cannot afford to have a cut-off region every time we have an extreme weather event.

“We still have some families, farms and businesses with very limited access to their properties. The impact on them and their businesses is devastating and ongoing.

“Huge mountains of silt and woody debris still need to be removed and that will take years and millions of dollars. We welcome the Government’s announcement on Sunday contributing $23.6 million to assist us with this mammoth task.

“Flood protection work is tracking well and house lifting for about 170 homes needs to happen with the $15m committed to that process.

“Negotiations with Category 3 home owners are ongoing. We want to make this process as stressless as we can. It is complex and each individual property owner will have different issues to address.

“The list is long and the road steep, but we are committed to working alongside our community and partners to build back our region even better.

“Moving on to this week, several events are happening around the region to give us time to stop and reflect on a very tough year.

“We need to take the time to acknowledge the thousands in our community who volunteered their homes, their time, money and energy to assist those affected.

“This week, every household will receive a beautiful booklet with stories shared with us by some of those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. It is heartbreaking as well as heartwarming.

“As a community we came together in the toughest of times and rallied around those who needed it the most. I am so incredibly proud of our region and how we navigated our way through this very tough year. We also need to take the time this week to encourage one another as we still have a steep journey ahead of us.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for every single contribution you made to make the lives of those most affected by Cyclone Gabrielle a little bit better. I cannot be prouder of how we navigated our way through this together. Together we are so much stronger.”